NewsNight 30
by jellybn
Summary: A short story of what might happen at the party for the second anniversary of NewsNight


The day had slipped away from Mackenzie yet again. She and the News Night team had worked part of Sunday preparing stories for the coming week. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Now it was 9pm and she was starving! The team had gathered at Will's apartment to celebrate the second anniversary of the re-vamped News Night program. Drinks were already plentiful but the catering had been delayed. If she didn't get some food she'd be swinging from the chandeliers soon.

She knew Will's apartment almost as well as she knew her own…at least she used to. Before she'd torn apart the best relationship she'd ever had. She was foraging in the kitchen when she spotted a bag of homemade cookies tucked in the fridge.

She was just wiping the crumbs from the corner of her mouth when she practically ran into Will as he was coming into the kitchen and she was exiting.

A sheepish smile crept across her face. "I was starving. Grabbed a cookie…hope you don't mind?" she offered.

"Surprised you found anything in here. I pretty much exist on take-out and restaurant meals on my own" he said, smiling at her guilty face.

"I had to hunt! They were in the fridge. But very tasty!" The wine in her glass was already giving her cheeks a rosy glow and she was starting to wind down after another crazy week.

"Oh no, Mac! From the fridge?" Will asked. "Those were from Kaylee's friend."

Realization dawned across her face and the ease of a moment ago was replaced with a mild panic. Kaylee's friend's baking was renowned for its medicinal properties…as in medical marijuana. Mac's eyes widened. "I may as well go with the flow." She shrugged her shoulders and headed back into the party.

Will was both alarmed and bemused. Mac had never had a high tolerance for chemical substances. Her petite size and inattention to regular meals often meant her inhibitions were obliterated (to charming effect) after only a few drinks. He smiled to himself at the memory of other times. However, if those cookies were like the last batch then they were strong "medicine" and he'd have to keep an eye on Mac!

Will scanned the room for Mac as he stood talking with Jim and Maggie. Mac was on the couch deep in conversation with Sloan, her closest friend and the economics reporter. Mac's eyes had a far off, dreamy quality. Not a look anyone would normally associate with Mac. She was usually a whirling dervish…always moving, always talking, passionate about everything!

Will excused himself and went over to the couch. He laid a hand on Mac's shoulder, silently checking that everything was okay. She turned her face to him. Her blissed out look almost took his breath away. It reminded him of lazy mornings when he'd roused her from a deep slumber with soft kisses.

Reassured he moved over to Charlie, head of the news division. "What's up with her?" the older man asked, nodding in Mac's direction. "We were talking about the primaries earlier. Her usual blend of focus and articulation seems to have escaped her. Every sentence ended in 'Yeah'."

"She's just winding down after a long week. We're just not used to seeing her relaxing" Will reassured their boss.

"She had one of the cookies" Will explained to Neal and his girlfriend Kaylee. They looked on in amusement as Mac flailed away at the Guitar Hero game now on the big screen TV. She was engrossed in the game and blissfully ignorant of her own ineptitude.

The party was beginning to break up. Taxis were arriving and some of the staff were heading off to a dance club. "What about Mac?" Neal asked Will. "How will she get home? Those cookies are powerful shit. I don't think she should make her way home alone."

"Don't worry. I'll look after her." Will told Neal. Neal nodded and he and Kaylee joined the others in the elevator.

Mac was on the couch and seemed suddenly surprised to notice that everyone had gone. "I guess its time for me to, uh, uh, get a….taxi and ah,…" her voice trailed off as she lost the thread. "I think it's better if you stay here tonight, Mac. Your baked goods consumption has left you in no shape to navigate the streets of Manhattan on your own."

Normally she'd object (loudly) to the perceived affront to her self-reliance. But the cookies had definitely mellowed her and she giggled and slumped back against the sofa. "Okay…" her voice drifted dreamily off again.

"Come on, time for bed." Will said grabbing her hand and pulling her to a stand in front of him. Mac moved closer to him and trailed a hand down his chest. "Sounds good" she murmured suggestively.

"In the spare room," Will countered reluctantly. God, he wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and take her to bed and deal with the consequences in the morning. But she was high, very high and might not feel the same way in the light of day.

"Spoil sport" said Mackenzie, pouting so endearingly that Will's resolve almost melted as he led her to the spare room.

Will awoke about 4:30am to the sound of his fridge door opening. When he peaked into the kitchen she was standing in the glow of the fridge light, munching on a tired looking apple. She was wearing an old dress shirt of his and nothing else. Will felt both his heart and groin stir. She was beautiful even in the harsh glow of refrigerator lighting.

She looked over at him sheepishly. "I've got the munchies, Will. And you've got nothing in this fridge except those cookies and this desiccated fruit! I'm not sure which is worse for me!"

"You should get high more often. I've not often seen you so relaxed. Except…" his voice trailed off recalling his memories of her sleepy in bed. A frission of electricity jolted through his body. From the look in her eyes she was remembering the same thing.

She closed the fridge door and stepped towards him. She put a hand on his chest. "What was the end of the message, Will?" Her big brown eyes implored him to open up.

"I was high, it was, I mean…" he stammered.

"Please Will. I'm high now and I want to, need to know" she said quietly, gripping his t-shirt in one hand and bringing the other to his face.

"Hi Mac, it's me Will. I'm not just saying this because I'm high. If the answer is no then just pretend you never got this message. But after tonight I needed to tell you, I wanted to tell you that I never stopped loving you. I haven't found a way to completely forgive you for cheating on me. But I want us to try again. I love you, Mac. I always have. Good night."

Will's heart hammered in his chest. For a moment they stood locked in one another's gaze.

"Oh Will" Mac murmured, softly against his lips. "I never stopped loving you either."

The gap between them closed as the kisses deepened. Mac curled her fingers in the hair at the nape of Will's neck and his arms closed tightly around her waist. They kissed hungrily. The sexual tension sang between them like electricity running down a wire.

Without breaking the embrace they moved towards the bedroom. Will backing up and Mac moving forward, almost on top of him. His hands were feverishly undoing the buttons of the shirt she was wearing and his mouth was trailing kisses down her jaw line and neck to the deep V of the partially opened shirt. Mac's hands were at the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it over his head, her fingers trailing down his chest.

When they reached the bedroom the shirt she was wearing lay unbuttoned around her shoulders, exposing her breasts and abdomen and perfect legs. Will just stood slack-jawed. He had forgotten how gorgeous she was. The shirt fell to the floor as he slipped it off her shoulders. Her hands moved to the waistband of his pajama pants, pulling them down as he lowered her to the bed.

They made love with the relish of their first time but with all the experience of lovers who knew each other well. When the first light of morning was teasing through the windows they finally fell asleep.

Will woke first around 11am. His body curled around hers, his legs tangled together with hers and his arm draped across her stomach. He pressed a kiss to back of her neck and watched her begin to wake like a purring kitten. After a few more kisses she turned towards him, pressing her lips and her body to his. All was not forgiven but by god this was a good start!


End file.
